Big Baby Bruce
by dragonprincess1988
Summary: Bruce and Alfred are sick. Will Dick survive taking care of them? I wrote this one for my sister I hope that you guys enjoy. Sequels to this story are: Lost and Found and Week Old Pizza.


Barbara rolled over and nudged her husband. "Dick, the phone is ringing go get it." She pushed him a few times before she got up and pushed him onto the floor.

Waking from a relatively sound sleep, Dick stared at his wife who almost instantly went back to sleep. Dick ran down the stairs to answer whoever was calling him at this ungodly hour on a Saturday morning, none the less. Everyone knew that Saturday's were spending the day sleeping days, or at least everyone should know. Picking up the phone, and trying to not sound as exhausted and angry as he was Dick said hello into the phone softly to keep from further disturbing the others in the house.

"Master Dick, I regretfully have to inform you that Master Bruce is feeling quite under the weather and will require some assistance tonight." Alfred voice was quiet and steady on the other end of the phone.

"Alfred, it is 6 in the morning on a Saturday. Why are you calling me this early about Bruce needing assistance for being sick? Put him in bed and tell him to sleep if off. I'm going to go back to sleep and try to forget that I ever woke up. I'll be over later tonight to do his patrol." Dick was about to hang up when Alfred stopped him.

Master Dick, I have tried to put him in bed, as you put it. The man refuses to stay. Master Bruce keeps insisting he's not that sick, even though he has nearly passed out four times." Alfred sounded as exhausted as Dick was feeling.

Dick hung his head low. "Alfred when's the last time you've slept?"

Alfred was silent for a moment before Dick asked again, and then finally Alfred replied. "Well, he came down with this illness Thursday afternoon. So, I haven't actually slept since Wednesday night, but I assure you Master Dick I'm quiet capable of taking care of things. I had simply not realized what day or time it was. I apologize for my mistake. Please enjoy the rest of your day until tonight's patrol."

Dick breathed in deeply and held it for a moment before releasing the large breath. "Alfred, I'll be over after I get dressed. Then I want you in bed." Dick hung up the phone and headed upstairs.

When Dick arrived at Wayne Manor the door was already unlocked. He stepped over the threshold looking for Alfred, who was always there to greet whoever came to the door. When Dick moved further into the room he saw the old man fast asleep in a chair in the corner. Dick went into the closet and pulled out a large fluffy blanket to put over the exhausted house keeper. Slowly and quietly Dick crept upstairs to check on Bruce. Dick didn't know if Bruce was asleep or not so he decided to do the Bat thing and sneak into the room. He gradually opened the door and slid into the master bedroom. Dick kept to the wall and stayed in the shadows. Once he was completely in the room and the door was safely closed, Dick looked up at his adopted father. As Dick took in the sight he couldn't help but laugh. Bruce was tied to the bed with jump ropes, jumper cables, rock climbing rope, jump lines, and anything else Alfred found lying around to keep the man in bed.

Bruce looked up for the first time since Dick had gotten there. "Great, laugh it up. Now, get me out of this thing. I have work to do." Bruce spoke in that infamous bat voice.

Dick finally calmed down and composed himself. "No way, I did not come over here to set you free. I came here to relieve Alfred so he could get some sleep a lot like you should be doing. So, just give up on getting out of that and rest. The quicker you get better the quicker I get back to my own patrol in my own city." Dick grabbed the newspaper and sat in a chair near the window. He opened it up to the sports section and began to sit there and read quietly.

Two hours past before Bruce stopped struggling. Every time he would get one of the ropes holding him undone Dick had added two more to his restraints. "You know, I thought it was weird that Alfred told me to bring ropes and stuff when I told him I was on my way, but now I see how good it was I actually listened."

Bruce stared at his adopted son for a few minuets before he finally gave in. "Fine, clearly I'm not going any where. So, can I at least have a box of tissues, a glass of water, and some more cough medicine?"

Dick got up tightened Bruce's restraints and headed down stairs for the things Bruce had asked for. When did returned with all of the stuff he found Bruce asleep. Dick placed the items on the nightstand and went to check on Alfred. Dick walked down stairs to the chair that Alfred had fallen asleep in. The chair was empty and he heard coughing from the kitchen. Dick walked into the kitchen to find Alfred trying desperately to wash dishes, but having to stop every five seconds to cough. Dick walked over and moved Alfred into a chair near the table. "You're really sick, too. I want you to head to your room I'm going to go get the cough syrup out of Bruce's room."

Alfred looked at the younger man before him. "Master Dick, I am perfectly well." Alfred started coughing horribly before he could continue his protest.

Dick was holding him in the chair as he coughed away. "Alfred, you are going to hack up a lung. If you don't want me to use the rest of the jump ropes I brought for Bruce on you then you will head up stairs and get in bed."

Alfred had stopped coughing long enough to give Dick a very stern look, and then he headed for his room. Dick walked upstairs to Bruce's room. He walked in to see Bruce still asleep and Dick thought that was a good thing. As Dick reached for the cough medicine Bruce opened his eyes and stared at him. Dick only noticed because it was a creepy gaze, not his usual Batman or Bruce stare. No, instead this was an "I need something" gaze, which was completely out of character for Bruce or Batman. Dick turned to his father, but didn't say anything.

Bruce finally spoke after a moment. "I need another cover and a straw for my water since I can't use my arms."

Dick rolled his eyes slightly. "Okay, but first I have to go give Alfred some of this cough syrup."

Bruce looked at his son with the most pathetic puppy dog eyes in the world. "Well, aren't you going to give me some first?" Bruce asked in a voice that was completely void of anything resembling his own.

Dick couldn't help but feel as though he had walked into the twilight zone. Dick tried really hard not to roll his eyes again as he pour the cherry flavored cough medicine onto the spoon for his dad. "Its times like these I wish I had my mask on all the time." Dick spoke out loud not meaning to and he quickly shoved the spoon into Bruce's mouth before he could ask what he said. Then Dick quickly grabbed the cough medicine and headed to Alfred's room.

When Dick entered Alfred's Room he saw the older man trying to clean. "And you said Bruce was bad at staying in bed when he was sick." Dick forced Alfred into bed and poured the cough syrup onto another spoon. Preparing to put the spoon in the man's mouth lying before him Alfred stopped him. "Master Dick, I can certainly feed myself cough medicine." Alfred was a little peeved that the younger man had actually attempted to force feed him medicine he was not a child after all.

Dick handed over the spoon. "Sorry Alfred, it's just that Bruce was acting all strange when I went into his room. It was actually rather scary."

Alfred fished the rest of the medicine on the spoon and placed the spoon on the nightstand. Dick knew the man must be sick if he was placing a dirty spoon right on the wood. Dick grabbed the spoon before it could leave a mark and allowed Alfred to speak. "Maybe Master Bruce simply missed you, sir. Maybe he feels bad about being a burden to you, now." Alfred leaned back on the bed.

Dick stared at the old man and began to laugh. "Yeah, right, Alfred I think you're talking about you, not him."

Before Dick could compose himself again Alfred was asleep and as much as he didn't want to Dick decided it would be a good idea to check on Bruce. When Dick walked into Bruce's room Bruce was struggling to get his water. Dick had completely forgotten to get the cover and straw he asked for. Before Dick could turn around to get the items he had not returned with Bruce was already listing things he needed. Dick ran down stairs got the blanket and straw he had previously forgotten and pulled out a small piece of paper. Reading over it Dick grabbed items all over the house before he returned upstairs. In order to carry everything up stairs Dick had to grab a basket from the laundry room. Dick headed back up the steps for the 6 billionth time today. Looking into the basket the only thing he could think was "medicine, clothes, food, and other miscellaneous items in a laundry basket Alfred would so not approve."

Dick entered the room unloading the basket and Bruce just stared at him. "What?" Dick was becoming frustrated.

Bruce just looked at him like a sad and hurt animal. "Where's the soup?"

Dick glared at his father, took a deep breath, and slowly let the air leave his lungs. "I couldn't exactly carry it with everything else. I'm going to go down and get it." Without looking at his father Dick turned and headed to the kitchen.

As he was pulling the bowl out of the microwave, that was hardly ever used with Alfred being the person who cooked and what not, Dick's cell phone started ringing. He placed the bowl on the table and answered his cell phone. "Hey Babs, how's it going?"

Barbara could hear the exhaustion in her husband's voice. "I guess I should be asking you that."

Dick sighed heavily. "Would you be upset if I asked you not to?"

Barbara felt bad for Dick. "Is it really that bad?"

Dick was putting the bowl of soup on a tray as he spoke. "Yeah it is. Bruce is acting quite strange and Alfred is sick, as well. Not only did he have me give him his medicine like a baby he's sent me to get the weirdest things. Like he wanted a big fluffy pillow, and the stuff animal Tim gave him as a practical joke last Christmas. Then he's all like, Dick get me some soup because I'm a sick person. If you ask me, he is sick in multiple ways. I liked it better when he was all like dark and scary and I'm big and mean fear me. This whole I need you to this for me and I need that stuff is pissing me off. Oh, and the only reason I believe he's actually sick is because he said he loves me."

Barbara was shocked and confused. "Bruce doesn't admit he has feelings not alone that. Have you checked for alien parasites?"

Dick sunk down into a chair. "Yeah, I did actually. I told him I was just taking his temperature and he believed me. This is driving me nuts."

Barbara was sitting at her kitchen table looking over a few files. "Aww, I'm sorry honey. Any thing I can do for you."

Dick put his hand on his head. "You could force Bruce to stop acting like a baby. Other than that, I don't think so."

Barbara had finished with the files and put them away. "No, I don't think any one could do that. Well, hey I got to go feed our own little ones." Before Dick could even tell her he loved her she hung up.

Dick went up to Bruce's room with the soup. He left it on the night stand with the previously brought items. Dick turned to leave but before he could Bruce gave him the most pathetic whimpered voice. "Well, aren't you going to feed it to me since I'm still tied up?"

Dick was ready to slap his father, but refrained. He turned around and started to feed Bruce the soup. The entire time all he could think about was how long until sunset came so he could leave. After Dick finished feeding Bruce he went to check on Alfred. Alfred was still asleep, so Dick decided to leave him that way.

Dick then headed down to the cave to get ready for patrol. As Dick put on his mask Oracle contacted him. "Hey, I'm just getting ready to go out, what's up?"

Oracle sounded so chipper, it was almost disgusting. "Oh, I just wanted to let you know that you're not going out tonight. I thought that since your day was so hecktic you would like to just take the night off and take of Bruce and what not. So, I got someone else to cover Bruce's patrol since Alfred is sick, as well."

Dick's teeth immediately started grinding together. "It's okay; I really can handle going out tonight, really."

Oracle laughed a little. "No, its okay; we have it handled. Oh, and since tomorrow is Sunday you can just stay there and help out more." Before Dick could retort she cut the connection.

Dick got back into his street clothes and out of the cave. As Dick reached the grandfather clock he could hear Bruce calling for him. Dick ran upstairs to see what his father wanted.

Bruce had a smile on his face when Dick opened the door. "It's about time. I need to go to the bathroom."

Dick's head suddenly hung lower than the previous times Bruce requested this kind of help. He took off all of the ropes and helped him to the bathroom. Dick had to sit outside the door and wait for him to finish. Dick had apparently fallen asleep waiting for Bruce to come out of the bathroom. He looked at his clock it had been half an hour and Bruce was still not out of there. Dick got up and knocked on the door. There was no response. He opened the door to find the bathroom empty and the window opened. Dick just sat down on the floor in the bathroom staring at his hands; he began to speak out loud. "Either Barbara or Alfred is going to kill me; which ever one can reach me first."


End file.
